Oct 12 2009
“We hope that this award will give President Barack Obama the courage of his convictions on climate change, that it will spur him to take personal leadership on climate change to avert climate catastrophe.
If allowed to go unchecked, climate change will wreak havoc on our societies - spurring mass migration, mass starvation and mass extinction. It will spark conflicts worldwide.
“If President Obama is to be a true Nobel Peace laureate he must engage personally to reverse his country's current blocking role in the climate negotiations to secure a fair, ambitious and binding deal for the climate this December. He must use his power to avert future climate conflicts and chaos.
“In accepting the award in Oslo on 10th December President Obama has an incredible opportunity, and responsibility, to then travel to the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit to help avert climate chaos and conflict.”
- Gerd Leipold, Greenpeace International Executive Director.